On both sides of the Atlantic and indeed elsewhere, leaders of competition groups look at their rivals and their own practices and judge how strong their group will be – not in a year, but in a decade, when perhaps they will be attempting to chip out of a bunker or navigate some snow-packed slope. That is to say: young talent is crucial to the health of any competition group, and the more first-chair work they get as young lawyers, the brighter the future becomes.

With that in mind, GCR is proud to present the 2016 edition of the 40 under 40, our listing of 40 young antitrust practitioners from around the world. As with our previous four editions, this year’s listing profiles young antitrust minds who have taken on leading roles within their firms, whether serving as one of the primary junior partners behind big-name rainmakers or, in some cases, as a central figure in a competition group. This year’s list includes lawyers and barristers practising in countries around the globe.

In many parts of the world, international competition law enforcement has existed through generations. While major cross-border mergers and investigations may have been novel in decades past, young lawyers practising today know no other reality. Globalisation has transformed the practice just as it has transformed economy and industry.

The 40 under 40 entrants truly span the globe, from the “usual suspect” jurisdictions of the United States, the United Kingdom and Brussels, to Ukraine, Japan, Turkey and China. But suffice to say that most of the young lawyers included in the survey received at least part of their antitrust education in one of the global hubs of antitrust law.

This year, for the first time, the 40 under 40 includes two new sections highlighting the blossoming careers of young lawyers working in-house on the competition teams inside companies and within antitrust enforcement agencies around the world. Each section includes young lawyers and economists, each of whom has taken on senior-level duties inside their companies or agencies.

Meanwhile, our eight featured in-house lawyers lead competition groups from some of the world’s largest and most dynamic companies – including three from a company embroiled, seemingly constantly, in antitrust controversy.